The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1887-05-14
TALMAGE's SERMON.
Moral and Physical Effect of Bad
Books and Pictures.


Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage recently de-
liyered the following in the Tabernacle at
Brooklyn, N. Y, taking for his text:
"Many OF them, also, which used curious
arts brought their books together, and
burned them before all men; and they
counted the price of them, and found IL
10000 pieces OF silyer."-- Acts, xix, 10.
Paul had been stirring up Ephesus
with some lively sermons about the
sins Of that place. Among the most
important results was the fact that the
citizens brought out their bad books
and in public place made "A bonfire
of them. / see the people coming out
with their arms full Of Ephesian litera-
ture, and tossing II into the flames. l
hear an economist standing by and
saying:
"Stop this waste. Here are $500
worth of books---do you propose TO
burn them all up? III you don't want
TO read them yourself sell them and let
somebody else read Them"
"No,' said the people, "if these
books are not good for us, they are not
good for anybody else and we shall
stand and watch until the last leaf has
turned TO ashes. They have done us
aworld of harm, and they shall never
do others harm"
Hear the flames crackle and roar.
Well, my friends, one of the wants
of the cities Of this country is a great
bonfire of bad books and newspapers.
We have enough fuel to make blaze
200 feet high. Many of the publish
ing houses would do well 10 throw into
the blaze their entire stock of goods.
Bring forth the insufferable trash and
put IL into the fire, and let ii be known
in the presence of God, and angels, and
men, that you are going TO rid your
homes of the overlapping and under
lying curse OF profiigate literature.
The printing press is the mighticst
agency on earth for good and for evil.
The minister of the Gospel, standing
in pulpit, has responsible position;
but do not think IL is as responsible as
the position of an editor or publisher
At what distant point Of time, at what
far out cycle Of eternity, will cease the
influence of Henry j. Raymond, or a
Horace Greeley, or a James Gordon
Bennett, or a Watson Webb, or an
Erastus Brooks, or Thomas KinseltaY
Take the simple statistic that our New
York dailies now have a circulation of
about $4,000 per day, and add TO II
the fact that three of our weekly peri
odicals have an aggregate circulation
OF about 100000, and then cipher, il
you can, how far up, and how far down,
and how far out, reach the influences
Of the American printing press.
Great Cod what is TO be the issue
Of all this? / believe the Lord intends
the printing press to be the chief
means for the worlds rescue and evan
gelization, and / think that the last
battle of the world will not be fought
with swords and guns, but with types
and pressesa purified and gospel
literature triumphing over, trampling
down and crushing out forever that
which is depraved. The only way TO
overcome unc!ean literature is by scat
tering abroad that which Is healthful.
May God speed the cylinders Of an
honest, intelligent, aggressive, Chris
tian printing press.
What books and newspapers shall
we read? You see l group them to-
gether. A newspaper is only a book
in swifter and more portable shape,
and the same rules which will apply 10
book reading will apply TO newspaper
reading. What shall we readY Shall
our minds be the receptacle of every
thing that an author has mind 70
write? Shall there be no distinction
between the tree of life and the tree OF
death? Shall we stoop down and drink
out Of the trough which the wicked
ness of men has filed with pollution
and shame? Shall we mire in impurity
and chase fantastic will-o '-the-whispS
across the swamps, when we might
walk in the blooming gardens of God
O mol for the sake of our present and
everlasting welfare we must make ar
intelligent and Christian choice.
Standing, as we do, chin deep in fic
titious literature, the first question
that many OF the young people are
asking me is: "Shall we read noyeisy
/ reply There are novels that are pure
good, Christian, elevating 10 the heart
and ennobling to the life. But have
still further to say that believe that
% out Of 100 novels In this day are
baleful and destructive 10 the last de
gree. A pure work Of fiction Is history
and poetry combined. IL Is the history
of things around ms, with the Licenses
and the assumed names OF poetry
The world can never pay the debt